


Rescue

by FreeRangePagan



Category: The New Legends of Monkey (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 08:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14745473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeRangePagan/pseuds/FreeRangePagan
Summary: Monkey gets in trouble. It's up to Tripitaka, Pigsy and Sandy to save him. They worry. Lots of worrying.





	Rescue

They found him strung up by his neck. 

Unmoving and arms tied behind his back, Monkey was surrounded by a circle of chanting priests in the dim temple. A few torches and a large brazer in the middle of the room gave it an eerie, ominous feeling. This was not how Tripitaka had envisioned the end of their day.

When Monkey had gone missing from the market town they had stopped in, Pigsy and Sandy assured Tripitaka that he was fine, probably making a nuisance of himself that they would have to rescue him from later. They had proceeded to spend the day enjoying the quiet village. They bought supplies and listening to local gossip. Pigsy even coaxed a new stew recipe from the tavern keeper's wife. It was a nice, relaxing day for once on their quest.

Well, Tripitaka thought as she ducked around to where the rope was tethered to the wall, they weren't wrong.

Rescuing Monkey had become priority one when night had fallen, bringing with it the clamoring of bells from the nearby temple. When they inquired as to what the occasion was, the travelers were horrified to hear that the priests had discovered a 'fallen one'. They were to cleanse it's soul before setting it free from it's mortal prison in a holy rite that had been passed down for generations. The townsfolk were quite proud of the tradition. 

As Monkey had arrived at the town gates on his cloud after scouting the area, it wasn't hard to think of who the priests might have found. 

Breaking into the temple had been surprisingly easy, with no guards or alarms going off as they approached the only lit chamber. Peering around a pillar, Tripitaka could see a handful of people in robes circling the still body of their friend. Lingering by the walls were a few guards that looked more like glorified field hands than trained warriors. Swords and hoes were equally gripped with righteous vigor as the chanting sped up, a plea that the tainted soul would not effect the village or it's people. The head priest advanced with an open book and something that glowed at the end of a long stick, something Tripitaka was sure would be used against their friend. 

"I'll get the rope, you two distract them, and don't let that thing touch you." Tripitaka whispered, turning to her companions. 

"Wasn't planning on it," Pigsy replied, eyeing the glowing instrument as the priest made some grand gesture, swinging it through the air. With a nod, Tripitaka ducked one way as Sandy and Pigsy both gave a yell and lept out the other side of the pillar. 

Surprise was on their side as Tripitaka darted behind a man with a rake. No one noticed her as the attention of the room was suddenly split between watching the head priest finish his chant and guards defending themselves from the unexpected onslaught of opponents.

The head priest shouted into the din, making another grand sweep with the tool in his hand. It came perilously near to hitting Monkey in the head. Tripitaka just knew something bad would happen if it touched any of them. 

The sounds of Pigsy's rake sending people flying into walls and Sandy's polearm clanking against the guard's swords covered the grunt of effort Tripitaka let out as she pulled the block from the giant wheel that kept their friend in the air. 

Monkey crashed to the ground, thankfully missing the lit brazer and the priest nearby. Tripitaka lunged towards their friend only to be yanked back by the head priest, his face twisted in anger and fear.

"What have you done?" he screamed in her face, "You have condemned his soul to foulness, forever to be confined by rotting mortality." 

He raised the brand, for Tripitaka could now see that's what it was- a brand shaped in the ancient language to mean 'purification of self', alternately used as a death symbol due to it's tendency to burn the bearer to ash when imbued with power. 

"Brother! yYou bring fallen, contaminated beings to a holy place, not to be purged of their sins, but to bring destruction!"

"There's nothing holy about what you're doing," Tripitaka hissed as she stomped on the priest's foot. Using the distraction to twist free of his hold, she narrowly avoided the brand slashing towards her chest. "And I'm not your brother." 

"This is on your head- befouled by demons- you must be-" the raving was abruptly cut off as Pigsy wacked the priest on the back of the head with his rake. The brand clattered to the floor, glowing sigil breaking off the pole it had been fixed to. 

Pigsy grimaced at it, "Let's get rid of that, yeah?" He used the tines of his rake to gingerly scoop up the brand before walking towards the brazer and dumping it in. Sparks flew briefly before a burst of magic signaled the destruction of the symbol.

The battle was over, their opponents running into the night or unconscious on the floor. Sandy was pulling the noose from Monkey's neck and cutting his hands free. Tripitaka fell to her knees next to Sandy, reaching out to help roll Monkey to his back. She felt for his pulse, weak but present, and started to shake him and call him name. 

Monkey finally jerked with a gasp, coughing several times before going still again. His eyes fluttering a moment then slid closed. Tripitaka looked him over, searching for other signs of injury. The only thing she could see was the red burn across his throat from where the rope had rubbed.

"At least he's breathing," Sandy pointed out as she sat back on her heels, satisfied that the other god wasn't in danger. 

"Now we just have to get out of here" Pigsy interjected, stooping to grab Monkey's arm and hauling the unconscious god across his shoulder. "Let's go."

They all agreed that avoiding the town and leaving the area was the best plan for now. Tripitaka felt they should return once Monkey had recovered and find out how the priests had gotten the ancient symbol to begin with. What kind of god gives humans that kind of power? It was a question for later though. 

With Pigsy carrying Monkey, the girls split up the pack to carry between them. As they started off north of the temple, they hoped they wouldn't run into anyone as they made their escape. Walking through the dark was hardly ideal but neither was risking a repeat capture or facing punishment for disrupting the priests.

After some hours with little talk and many tree branches to the face, Sandy declared a stream nearby. The three of them quickly agreed they were far enough away to stop for the rest of the night. 

Pigsy groaned as Tripitaka helped him lay Monkey on the bank. Their friend was still unconscious, all of them sharing worried glances over his prone body. Monkey should have woken up by now. He usually healed up fast- faster than usual even for gods, according to Pigsy. But the red burn was still stark against tan skin and brown eyes remained closed. 

Sandy handed her a blanket from her part of the pack. Tripitaka offered her a wan smile before crouching to place it under Monkey's head. Absently, she smoothed his hair back from his face as she took in their surroundings. 

Pigsy had set up a fire and Sandy was unpacking some of the rations they had bought earlier that day. Tripitaka blinked at that. How could so much have happened in one day? She shook the thought off. At least their lives were never dull, she thought as she got up to refill their canteens in the stream. 

Their camp was quiet as the three companions sat and ate. The firelight danced off the little stream, reflecting up into the sparse trees around them. The flickering light just accentuated how still their friend was, or so it seemed to Tripitaka. Now that she had a moment to think, she was really starting to worry. Those few moments when Monkey hadn't been breathing kept playing in her mind. What if he didn't wake up?

"What do you think they did to him?" Tripitaka broke the silence, finally breaking her gaze from watching the rise and fall of Monkey's chest. Just in case. 

"There were no other signs of distress," Sandy mused, "Perhaps like Locke's smoke, he has inhaled much of the substance and stays asleep."

"I'm sure he'll be up and about come morning. The rope burn is already fading. Nothing to really worry about." Tripitaka wasn't sure who Pigsy was trying to convince more- them or himself. 

For all their reassuring words, Tripitaka still caught the other two watching Monkey just as closely as she knew she was. She wasn't sure what they would do if he didn't wake soon. 

After eating, they drew straws to see who would take first watch. As Sandy grabbed her polearm to stand guard, Pigsy settled down near the fire. Tripitaka hesitated a moment, looking between the others before scooting the few feet over to the sleeping god. Curling into his side, she laid her head on his chest, directly over his heart. The steady thump-thump was reassuring at least. With that final thought, Tripitaka closed her eyes and slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Omg this is the first thing I've written in over a decade. This series is amazing.


End file.
